Control device for printing rollers in printing machines



May 12, 1953 P, DECK 2,638,048

CONTROL DEVICE: FOR PRINTING ROLLERS IN PRINTING MACHINES Filed 001;. 1*'4, 1950 l 2 Sheets-Sheet l JI l FIG/l In Vehof Phf/[ber Dec/l/ 'Kw/MMM P. DECK May 12, 1953 2,638,048 CONTROL DEVICE FCR PRINTING RCLLERS IN PRINTING MACHINES Filed oct. 14, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG2 In Ver/far 1 2O P/w//b/ @H0/f Patented May 12, 1953 CONTROL DEVICE FOR PRINTING ROLLERS` IN PRINTING MACHINES Philibert Deck, Zurich, Switzerland Application 2 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to printing machines and especially to printing machines wherein a web of sheet material to be printed on (fabric, paper, or the like) is fed between a central cylinder, and a number of printing rollers disposed circumferentially around, and applied under resilient pressure against said central cylinder. IIhe printing rollers have a movement of rotation imparted to them and owing to their pressure application against the central cylinder, drive the latter in rotation in a reverse direction from their own, thereby feeding the web of material. The printing rollers each serve to print a pattern upon the web, and the individual patterns may-or may not-each comprise an individual colour. It is necessary that the various component patterns be' printed so as to harmonize together in producing a predetermined general pattern, and this requires that an accurate relative setting be maintained between the printing rollers during a given printing operation.

In conventional machines 'of this type, the printing rollers are rotated by .direct meshing engagement with a common gear wheel, and their. adjustment for mutual registration of the printed patterns is generally accomplished by means of a manually-controlled Worm adapted to rotate the hub of.R the printing roller in either direction. Manualoperation of this worm involves risk of accident to personnel and damage to apparatus."

An objectv of the present'invention is to provide a device for controlling the printing rollers in a printing machine of the type indicated, whereby the individual setting of each printing roller may be adjusted with flexibility, accuracy and safety.

The invention essentiallykconsists of interposing in the control means foreach printing roller a differential gearing, whereby any desired corrective adjustment may be imparted with great flexibility to each individual roller.

The features of the invention will appear from the ensuing description relating to one form of embodiment thereof selected by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a general view in elevation of a printing machine according to the invention, and

Fig. 2 is a view on an enlarged scale in section on line I-II of Fig. l.

The printing machine shown comprises a frame l supporting the shaft 2 of a central cylinder 3, and a number of sliding supports 4 are spaced peripherally of the central cylinder and each adapted 'to receive a carriage 5 slidable thereon,

October 14, 1950, Serial No. 190,113 In France May 15, 1950 2 each carriage 5 supporting through journals 6 the shaft 'I of printing roller 8.

In alignment with the shaft 2 is a separate shaft 2a which carries a freely rotatable central gear wheel 9 (Figs, l and 2) meshing with a drive pinion I secured on a shaft Il driven from a motor, not shown. Pivoted freely on the end I2 of shaft 2a is a disc I3 formed with an elongated opening I4 through which the shaft II extends. The disc I3 moreover comprises an integral arm I projecting radially therefrom and formed at its outer end with a worm gear sector meshing with a worm I5. The shaft I'I of the worm is supported in bearings formed in a bracket I8 secured at I9 to the frame I and the shaft II carries at one of its ends a bevel pinion 20. The pinion meshes with a further bevel pinion 2i mounted on a shaft 22 supported in a bearing 23 integral with the bracket I8. The shaft 22 may be controlled manually as with a crank, not illustrated, fitted into a square socket 24 formed on the shaft, or alternatively the shaft 22 may be controlled from an electric motor; any other suitable means may be used to control the shaft 22.

The disc I3 is provided, adjacent to the gears 25 carried on the shafts l, with differential housings 26 serving as transmission means from the gear 9 to the gears 25, and motors 2l associated with the housings 2S. Operation of the shaft 22 causes the disc I3 to be shifted from one to the other of two positions, namely a position in which the housings 26 are in engagement with the gears 25, and a disengaged position. In the embodiment illustrated, each motor 2l drives through a transmission (not shown), a Worin gear 23 meshing with the gear teeth 2S of the planetary-carrier 30 of the dilferential gearing mounted on the shaft 3l supported at 32 on the housing 25. The planetary-carrier 30 carries planetaries 33 mounted on shafts 34 and two sun-gears 35 and 36. rI he sun-gear is rigid with a bushing 3'! mounted for rotation on shaft 3i, a receiver pinion 38 being secured on said bushing. The sun-gear 35 is rigid with a further bushing 3S coaxial with and rotatable around the bushing 31, and carries a transfer pinion 4U meshing with the gear 9. The shaft 3l and bushings 31 and 39 are rotatable relatively to one another, with a soft friction fit or with the interposal of ball bearings. In the clutched position of disc I3, each receiver pinion 38 meshes with the gear 25 of the related printing roller.

The device operates as follows. The web of fabric or paper is inserted between cylinder 3 and the engraved printing rollers 8. The drive shaft 3 Il acting through pinion l drives the central gear 9, which meshes in turn with the pinions 4G carried in the housings 26 rigid with the disc. In each housing 26 the pinion 4Q thus rotated rotates in turn the sun-gear 36 with which it is rigid, and the sun-gear 35i transmits through the medium of the planetaries 33 its rotation to the sun-gear A35 and thus to the pinion v33 integral therewith. In the engaged condition of disc I3, the pinions 38 mesh with the gears 25. In the What I claim is:

1. A printing machine comprising a frame, a central cylinder journalled in said frame, a plurality of printing rollers peripherally engaging said cylinder and having gears disposed outwardly of said frame, a spindle coaxial with said cylinder and projecting outwardly from said frame, on the same side thereof as said disengaged condition of the disc, the pinions 38 are spaced away from the gears 25,.

In the engaged position ofthe disc and Awith the motors 21 stopped, the gears 25 arev all subjected to a bodily movement of rotation, vand consequently the printing rollers 8 areall rotated at the same speed; the pressure .exerted by them against the central cylinder 3 causes said cylinder to revolve in the opposite direction', thereby feeding the web.

It :may voccur in operation that .one .or more of the engraved printing rollers assume a lag or lead relatively Ato the pattern to be printed; .the motor ,21 relating to a roller thus displaced is then started in the requisite direction to counan accelerated or retarded rotation of the :.31

planetaries 33, as the case may be, relatively to the rotation assumed by them with the motor 21 stopped.

The movement of the sun-gear 36 is therefore transmitted to the sun-gear 35 corrected one way or the other according to the movement imparted to the motor 21. The related printing roller thereby assumes a movement adapted to restore its correct setting relatively to the general pattern. The disc i3 carrying the differential gearings and their motors, may be shifted to a de-clutching position whereby the pinions 38 may be moved away from the pinions 2,5, .thereby breaking the transmission pat from the gear 9 to the printing rollers. pending on the diameter of the printing roller, the pinion 25 may be formed with a number of gear-teeth bearing such a relation to said diameter that the central gear 9 will not have to be changed if the diameters of the printing rollers are altered.

It will be seen that the arrangement according to my invention makes it possible to correct in a particularly flexible and accurate manner any displacements that may occur during operation in the relative positions of one orv more of the printing rollers. Y v The yinvention is not restricted to the specifi form of construction illustrated and described,

but should be construed as including any modif fications in the various elements thereof which do not depart from the spirit vand scope of the invention.

gears, a toothed control wheel mounted on said spindle, a rotary disc mounted on said spindle outwardly of said wheel, casings supported by said disc and projecting inwardly therefrom, electric motors opposed t0 said casings respectively supported by the disc and extending outwardly therefrom, a xed pin supported by and extending within each said casing parallelly to said spindle, two adjacent pinions mounted on said pin near the rotary disc and being in mesh with said wheel and with one of said printing roller gears, respectively, and a differential mechanism mounted. on said pin inwardly from the pinions and having sun gears respectively connected to said pinions, a planetary carrier connected to one of said electric motors.

2. A printing machine comprising a frame, a central cylinder journalled in said frame, a plu'- rality ofv printing rollers peripherally engaging said cylinder and having gears disposed outwardly of said frame, a spindle coaxial with said cylinder and projecting outwardly from said frame on the same side thereof as said gears, a toothed control wheel mounted on said spindle, a rotary disc ,mounted on said spindle outwardly of said wheel and having therein an opening circumferentially elongated, a control shaft passing through said opening, a control pinion mounted on said shaft and being in mesh with said wheel, casings supported by said disc and projecting inwardly therefrom, electric motors opposed to said casings respectively supported by the disc and extending outwardly therefrom, a fixed pin supported by and extending within each said casing parallelly to said spindle,. two adjacent pinions mounted on said pin near the rotary disc and being in mesh with said wheel and with one 0f said printing roller gears, respectively, and a differential mechanism mounted on said pin inwardly from the pinions and having sun gears respectively connected to said pinions, a planetary carrier connected to one of said electric motors.

PHILIBERT DECK.

References cited in the me vof this patent UNITED STATES 'PATENTS Number Name Date 1,975,981 Smith et al. Oct. 9, 1934 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 589,555 Great Britain June 424, 1941 

